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Buddhism and Morality

With Buddhism being non-theistic in nature, that is sharing no belief in a personal deity and or omnipotent creator, what and where is the source of its moral teachings? Based around this statement my paper will be comprised of the issue around the foundation of Buddhism’s moral and ethical compass based on its lack of a deity that seems to be the driving force behind other theistic religions. Along with this I will analyze how and why a particular set of rules/guidelines bring about a strong foundation of compassion and look into the possible cases of this moral structure crumbling for an individual and community and the case that it presents. With the Buddhism movement starting sometime around (in most recent opinions) 486-483 BCE to around 411-400 BCE by Siddhārtha Gautama; the ‘Buddha ‘or the ‘enlightened one’, his teachings are to this day the foundation of the Buddhist religion and philosophy. It is believed that after Siddhārtha’s death his teachings were rehearsed by a representative body of disciples, later systematized into a threefold division of Sutta, Vinaya and Abhidhamma, throughout time broken up into a number of separate schools and this day consist within the three main canons; Pāli Canon, Chinese Buddhist Canon and the Tibetan Kangyur. Within all three of these scriptures lie the fundamental aspect and teaching of karma where all moral and ethical decisions rest upon. Karma, the Sanskrit word meaning ‘action’ or ‘deed,’ is the principle of thought that one’s actions result in synonymous manifestations in this life or the next. This karma is the driving force behind the wheel of suffering and rebirth for every being; whether they choose to participate in good deeds (kusala) or bad deeds (akusala) these actions have repercussions. The belief is that these actions produce seeds within the mind that result in fruition of internal or external experiences within their current life or the one after. This concept works with the paradigm of thought that time is not linear consisting of a beginning or end but rather time exists, within Buddhist philosophy, as a continuous circle of death and rebirth where creation and destruction are the natural attributes and the wheel of life (Samsara) bringing with it the full circle of not only choices but the intentions of them. This ‘karma’ is fundamentally the foundation for morals and ethics within the Buddhist tradition as one’s intentions of a particular action or deed become part of their life that could either help or hinder their main goal of liberation. Liberation, which can be compared to salvation in other religions, has its significant differences. Within eastern Christianity salvation pertains to the seeking of holiness and drawing ever closer to God. Salvation, within The Church of Christ (Mormonism), directly applies to the obedience of the proclaimed facts of the gospel and within Islam it is seen as the eventual entrance into heaven bidding the belief in the ‘One God’ Allah. With the relation of salvation and liberation seen as both end goals of particular faiths, liberation within Buddhism pertains to the release from a state of clinging to impermanence as their world view is centered on the state of constant change. Since this impermanence permeates the entire fabric of existence for Buddhists, clinging to physical objects (materialism) and non physical objects (emotions/ mental states) brings with it eventual suffering. Now it must be noted that the comparison of Buddhism with other religious sects is an extremely complicated and multidimensional analysis that requires a great length of attention and analysis. Due to that fact the comparison I briefly mention here is merely touching upon the surface contrast between one’s faith ingrained interaction with their current environment. As numerous other religions, such as the ones mentioned above, their end goal seems to entail this salvation as taking action when this current life is over and...

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...among religions is the moral teachings. These teachings give you guidelines about how you should live your life in order to enter a solemn, peaceful afterlife in whatever form it may come in. The moral teachings of Christianity and Buddhism can be compared and contrasted through the roles of a God within the religion, the similarities in the commandments, and what those moral teachings are intended to do for you.
The roles of God within Christianity and Buddhism can be more so contrasted as opposed to compared. This is due to the fact that Buddhism has no all powerful Gods or Goddesses, while Christianity does have an all powerful God. In Christianity, it is believed that there is one supernatural, divine being that guides us, and whom you are obligated to worship. To a Christian, “The purpose of our worship is to glorify, honor, praise, exalt, and please God. Our worship must show our adoration and loyalty to God for His grace in providing us with the way to escape the bondage of sin, so we can have the salvation He so much wants to give us.” (Null 1:1). That proves how important a God is in Christianity. Christians believe that God is the creator of the world and gave us everything we have, and that is why we must show God so much adoration. In Buddhism however, due to the lack of an all powerful God figure, there is no strict, routine worship. The meditation that they do is entirely for them. Through meditation...

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Buddhism
Since the beginning, people have searched for something far beyond themselves for answers about life and how we became. Early on we had beliefs that there was something far greater than ourselves in this world controlling things that we could not understand. From these beliefs came the development of religions. Religion provides us with spiritual guidance, moral direction and death preparation. One practice that provides this spiritual guidance is Buddhism. This religion is practiced in such countries as India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. This paper will discuss its history, scriptures, beliefs, rites of passage, meditation principles and major festivals and ceremonies that are a part of their religious practice.
History of Buddhism and Buddha’s Life
Buddhism was founded in the late 6th century B.C.E. by Siddhartha Gautama, the son of a rich ruler of the Kshatriya castle. In its earliest forms it was not a religion but a system of psychological ethical discipline based on philosophy of life. There are stories prophesied by a Hindu saint of his future greatness and non-human conception. Gautama, the Buddha, was born in Lumbini, near where the Indian-Nepal border is today. He had a sheltered but very comfortable life when growing up. By the time he reached his upper twenties, he felt his life was meaningless as he was unable to help those that were...

...Religious tradition: BuddhismBuddhism is a non-theistic religious tradition, more so a philosophy, which branched from Hinduism. The ‘Buddha’, from which Buddhism derived its name, was a man named Siddhartha Gautama, who abandoned anything associated with worldly desires in pursuit of freedom from suffering. He led a harsh life of meditation, study and simplicity, and his experiences are what shaped Buddhism. Buddhism is a religion centralising around peace, and strongly based on the preaching of the Buddha – although, anybody can become a Buddhist by following the Noble Eightfold Path.
The original school of Buddhism with the oldest traditions is ‘Theravada Buddhism’. The Theravada Buddhists promote that only Siddhartha Gautama was able to achieve enlightenment on his own, and that all other beings need a second party to determine whether they are enlightened. Also, they believe that those who completely dedicate themselves to the teachings of the Buddha can achieve ‘nirvana’ (which is the idea of non-self; having no attachment to desires and suffering, and freedom from the effects of karma. A person who achieves nirvana does not reincarnate).
The ‘Mahayana’ Buddhists is a more ‘laid back’ version of Buddhism. They altered monastic rules and texts in order to make Buddhism an easier lifestyle to practice. They believe that nirvana can be...

...Naomi Sallay
March 31, 2012
Comparative Religions
Mrs. Zents
Reviewing Buddhism
The Four Noble Truths for the basis of Buddhist beliefs. Explain the Four Noble Truths and show how they were illustrated by specific events in the life of Siddhartha Gautama otherwise known as the Buddha.
The Four Noble Truths are a linked chain of truths about life, the first chain being suffering does exist, the second being it has a cause, the third being that it has an end, and the fourth chain being that there is a way to attain release from suffering – namely by following the Noble Eightfold Path.
The first Noble Truth quotes that “birth is attended with pain, decay is painful, disease is painful and death is painful.” There are many ways in which we are able to feel pain whether in the body, the mind and in life. All of these aspects can feel tired, discouraged, or experience anxiety or anguish. There is another quote later on during the explanation on how “living means sorrow”. Which is a very profound statement, which may seem very dark but it also allows us to see that we must be realistic. Nothing or everything can be perfect, no matter what it is your doing you have to set yourself up for some sort of misery and deal with it. And with recognizing this sorrow and misery, as times get harder you as some people would say sweat the small stuff, meaning that you would forget about the minute details.
The second Noble Truth, which means that suffering...

...to broaden the Buddhist religion and wisdom. Middle land Chan Monastery welcomes any race, gender, or religion and is free to any visitor. They offer free meditation classes of all levels and age groups. They have different days throughout the week, when they teach classes in Chinese or English allowing the communities preference. The classes teach the following: history of Zen Buddhism, the four noble truths, the noble eightfold path, six perfections, emptiness and the middle way, and the principle of casualties. Once you have completed the advanced classes you can move on to the Sutra study classes which teach more in depth about the above categories. These classes are two hours long for twelve weeks. The first hour is meditating and the second hour is teachings of the Buddha. Ceremonies are also offered with reservations. All ceremonies and classes are taught by Abbess Jianxiang. Dress Code is your choice but is recommended to be comfortable and non-slippery socks. Other meditation clothing is provided if wanted. Middle land Chan Monastery is a very good place to come if you are interested in Buddhism and want to learn their ways. I enjoyed my time spent there learning their culture and feeling welcomed the entire time.
When I arrived to Middle Land Chan Monastery, I was welcomed right away. Unfortunately since I hadn’t signed up for the classes when the beginning level students started their classes months ago, I was unable to participate...

...Buddhism, a Religion or a Philosophy?
Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy? To find the answer to this question, I believe we must first identify the difference between the two. The definition of “religion” is “the commitment and detection to a faith or observation.” The definition of “philosophy” is “the pursuit of wisdom.” So from this, we can say that the difference is that philosophy is to pursue wisdom through learning and experiencing, while religion is to commit yourself to a certain belief by means of faith.
There are many philosophers today that say Buddhism is a philosophy and not a religion. They say this on account of what Buddhism teaches. It teaches you to always better yourself by seeking knowledge and understanding of the world (although this understanding is to come from Buddhist history and not from one’s own perceptions).
To continue on the path of answering the question aforementioned, I will give a basic understanding of the Buddhist beliefs. First of all, you may not realize this but Buddhism is one of the larger “religions” in the world, with an estimated four-hundred million Buddhists. As with a lot of large religions, Buddhism is not completely united under one exact belief system. What I mean by this is that within the Buddhist religion there are many different sects with differing beliefs. For the purpose of this paper, I will inform you of the basic...

...University of Phoenix Material
Buddhism Worksheet
Write a 1- to 2-paragraph response for each of the following.
1. Explain the basic Buddhist teachings including the three marks of reality, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path.
The three marks of reality of the Buddhist religion consist of; 1. The first and most common thing in all of reality being change, after all the only constant in life is change. Impermanence according to Buddha is a part of life the fact that things in one’s life such as family do not evolve is an illusion. 2. No permanent identity is another thing that Buddha spoke about. He urged people to abandon ego, and a fixation on material objects. We all come in to this world with nothing and leave the world the same way. The fact that Buddha states this to me, it is as if we need to stop focusing on worldly things and focus more on the savior, to better ourselves. 3. Suffering is the third mark of reality. It refers to the fact that life, when lived conventionally, can never be satisfying because of its inescapable change.
The fours noble truths are; 1. To live is to suffer, that to me means that no matter what through life, we will experience uncomfortable situations and we will have pain through our lives to experience pleasure and pain. 2. Suffering comes from desire. This to me means that things in life that are worth having do not come easy. 3. To end suffering, end desire. To me that...

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Topic:Buddhism
General Purpose: To provide new information or new perspective
Specific Purpose:To inform my audience some of the philosophy of Buddhism.
Thesis Statement:Buddhism is based on the Four Noble Truths that were taught by the Buddha and are ideas that can be applied to a person’s life, no matter what their religion may be.
I. Introduction:
A. Attention Getter:
I will tell you a brief story about “The Thief and the Master”. One evening, Zen master Shichiri Kojun was reciting sutras when a thief entered his house with a sharp sword, demanding "money or life". Without any fear, Shichiri said, "Don't disturb me! Help yourself with the money, it's in that drawer". And he resumed his recitation. The thief was startled by this unexpected reaction, but he proceeded with his business anyway. While he was helping himself with the money, the master stopped and called, "Don't take all of it. Leave some for me to pay my taxes tomorrow". The thief left some money behind and prepared to leave. Just before he left, the master suddenly shouted at him, "You took my money and you didn't even thank me?! That's not polite!". This time, the thief was really shocked at such fearlessness. He thanked the master and ran away. The thief later told his friends that he had never been so frightened in his life. A few days later, the thief was caught and confessed, among many others, his theft at Shichiri's house. When the master was called as a witness, he...